(1) Invasive species are plant or animal species that become established in ecosystems where they did not originate. (2) Some blend in harmlessly with native species, but others cause ecological and economic damage. (3) A notorious example is the zebra mussel, native to Russia, that was first identified in the United States Great Lakes in 1988 (McKee 2003, 141). (4) Scientists believe that the mussels were inadvertently transported to North America in the ballast water of ships.(5) Like many invasive species, zebra mussels threaten the biodiversity of the habitats they invade. (6) Zebra mussels reproduce so quickly and are so hardy that they have suppressed populations of the Great Lakes' native mussels (Fields 2005, 164) and, along with other invasive species, threaten the Great Lakes' entire food web. (7) Environmental chemist Mike Murray claims, "As invasive species like zebra mussels overwhelm the Great L

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